The Negative Edge News Report 07.26.06
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 07.26.2006
Rockstar gets bold, Mark Rein commands attention, and the people at Sony lose their minds!
I killed my main computer over the weekend so a lot of the non-news articles that I had already prepared will appear in next week's column. I did most of this column at a local Internet cafe while listening to gunfire and swords clashing. It was not a fun experience. I can at least say that having my computer die on me and subsequently having to put this column together using another (inferior) computer was an eye-opening experience. I came to realize how much my life is dependent on having a working computer. I have to make sure that I have a backup plan in the future. I also have to figure out a way to make it so that my life does not revolve around my PC. It is such an awful realization. Try to ignore your computer for a day. Can you do it?
Rockster Games recently released some pricing details for its upcoming PSP Grand Theft Auto game -
Given Liberty City Stories' success, few were surprised when Rockstar Games revealed that a second GTA game was in development for the PSP. At E3 in May, the publisher announced Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories would ship in the US on October 17 and in Europe on October 20. Today, the publisher reconfirmed the ship date, and announced the game would carry a full price of $49.99.
credit: GameSpot
As a gamer this pisses me off. This is a pretty bastardous move on Rockstar's part. They know that people are willing to pay more for any good game for the PSP because of the sheer lack of current and future standout titles. Regardless of my dislike for such a move, I cannot deny the fact that from an economical standpoint, this was a great play on Rockstar's part. With so few high-profile games on the horizon for the PSP, they know that their title will sell even with the $10 premium. I'm torn. The move is both disgusting and awesome at the same time...
A major Gears of War announcement is coming!
On Monday, Mark Rein announced in the Epic Games forums that a "BIG" announcement is coming next week.
Though many people are guessing that the big announcement is a release date, I don't see a release date for this game at this point as being "BIG." So what? We already know that it's coming soon. My prediction - Epic is working on a Windows Vista port which will allow cross-platform (PC and Xbox 360) multi-player action. What can be bigger than that? A Wii port?
Test Drive for less
According to gamesindustry.biz, Atari's upcoming racer for the Xbox 360 will be released at a budget price of $39.99. With regards to the new price point, Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell explains that "innovation should be available to everyone, not a privilege for those who can afford high price tags. We believe it is our mission to deliver triple-A games that are accessible to the masses."
Didn't Take-Two try this with the 2K series before getting killed by EA? Of course, the situation was a little different but I didn't see it as being very advantageous for Take-Two in the long run. My immediate reaction is "budget price = crappy game." Hopefully, Atari can prove me wrong and show the world that their pricing scheme can work.
Sony's badly chosen Greatest Hits lineup
Sony recently issued a press release which listed the names of the first "Greatest Hits" titles for the PSP. These titles include Ape Escape: On the Loose, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, Twisted Metal: Head On, and Wipeout Pure.
"The PSP system has truly arrived with the launch of its ‘Greatest Hits' collection, which we expect will drive consumer interest in the device and strong hardware growth, just as the ‘Greatest Hits' programs have done for other PlayStation® platforms," said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America.
What is Sony thinking? A game console company should be embarrassed if this was their first crop of greatest hits.
- My computer died.
- I put all of my finished articles in one of my raid arrays. Why is this bad? Because I can't access the raid array without a motherboard that uses the same method for creating raid arrays as my previous (and currently dead) motherboard.
- My gamesave for Sigma Star Saga got erased. I was on the last level.
Things that went right this week:
I was able to pick up the new Street Fighter II DVD at Best Buy for $13. Yay me!
For the ultra low-budget price of $10.98 you too can experience the joy and wonder millions of children around the world experienced back in 1989. While the whole movie was a blatant advertisement for Nintendo products, at least the creators knew who their audience was and how to satisfy them. Though I know that this is a terrible movie, I wouldn't mind watching it again just for the memories. It's worth a rent just to see how things have changed since the days of the Power Glove. This movie will be released on DVD on August 22, 2006. Yes, I know that I'm a little early. My excuse – it's a little hard to find just-released video game related movies to talk about. I'll have a reworked movie section next week.
Want to get next-gen games for less than you would pay for most current-gen ones? play-asia.com is currently selling several Xbox 360 games from Japan for $39.90 each. The list of games includes Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII, Call of Duty 2, FarCry Instincts Predator, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Gun, Hitman: Blood Money, MotoGP '06, Prey, Quake 4, Tomb Raider: Legend, andX-Men: The Official Game. These games are both region free and in English so you will have no problems playing them on your American systems. The only downside is that you may have to wait five to ten days for your game(s) to arrive since they are shipped directly from Japan. Your two main shipping options are $3.10 for bubble-wrapped packaging and $4.20 for boxed packaging. I have ordered from this site before so I can comfortably say that they are legit. Next-gen gaming at lower than current-gen prices. Sounds good to me!
My hour is almost up and I can't think of anything to put here. How about the tracking summary for my replacement motherboard? Did I receive it yet?
The Analyst's Corner
As I stated earlier, my computer died. Unfortunately, it took my articles with it. Lets see if I can recover them for next week's column...
Feedback
Wow! I actually got some feedback. Too bad it was for the Fact or Fiction column -
I'm sending this email on account of some of the things I read in this weeks article, mostly in regards to the Wii. I get the feeling that neither Joshua Richleyor Vincent Chiuuchi really know all that much about it (or the N64 and Gamecube for that matter). Yes, I am a Nintendo fan as you might've guessed, but that's not the main reason I'm writing. The main reason I'm writing, is the fact that some of what was said conflicts with the actual truth.
The Wii does have a lot of third party suppot already, with over 30 companies pledging support, Ubi Soft, Square Enix, Namco, Konami, Capcom, Koei, EA, THQ and Midway among them. Now granted, the continued support of these companies will depdn on the success of the Wii, and here is another thing that was ignored...people are excited about the Wii. I don't think Nintendo's past is having any bearing at all on the anticipation of the Wii, which looks set to sell amazingly well on it's release. As somebody who keeps track of news on the Wii, and people's reaction to it out of interest, I really feel to say that it is a fact that the Wii doesn't have as much third party support as the other two consoles or to say that people aren't looking forward to it is just contrary to what has in fact been happening.
Anyway, thanks for your time, and the article
As I said in my response to the writer, I only make up the statements. The other two are the ones that respond. I had hoped that at least one of them would have thrown in a Wii vs. PS3/360 and DS vs. PSP comparison but it isn't something that I have control over. It has to be their own opinions based on their knowledge and/or experiences. That's what makes Fact or Fiction so awesome - the unpredictability of what the participants are going to say.
Alright. The whole Internet cafe environment is giving me a headache. I should be back next week.
